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ICANN's Brand-Named Internet Suffix Application Deadline Looms
AIFEX writes with a snippet from the BBC: "'Organisations wishing to buy web addresses ending in their brand names have until the end of Thursday to submit applications. For example, drinks giant Pepsi can apply for .pepsi, .gatorade or .tropicana as an alternative to existing suffixes such as .org or .com.'"
Asks AIFEX: "Does anyone else think this is absolutely ridiculous and defeats the logical hierarchy of current URLs?"
As long as they keep talking bullshit and people keep eating it up, it won't matter what the logical reason is behind it. They'll sell whatever they can to further their profits.
... but remember that the TLD was supposed to be just that, the top-level domain. Why not allow massive organizations to have their own namespace? Granted, I do think they should be expected to provide all infrastructure services (root servers, etc.) necessary for such operations, but I don't see this as anything except a return to the original design.
I think you mean 'seizing' instead of 'ceasing'.
You could not purchase a top level domain in the early days of the Internet.
By design, you want TLD's to be very rich. What's the point in owning a TLD if you can't afford reliable bandwidth, reliable, servers, etc?
More importantly, what's the tangible difference between www.pepsi.com and www.pepsi? Does Pepsi own sooooo many subdomains that it would actually help them to have their own TLD other than for marketing reasons?
This is the Internet. We need to think things out for practical reasons -- not commercial. This smells like another way to make money to me instead of actually help the Internet grow.
The hierarchy is already dead. .com, .net and .org were supposed to have distinct uses. But they don't everyone goes for .com first and then grabs a .net or a .org if what they want is unavailable. The country codes were supposed to organize sites that were specific to certain countryies. instead they're used to make stupid domains like tw.it
ICANN's only criterion here on whether this is a good idea is whether it will generate lots more money in newly registered domains. Better grab your top level domain before someone squats on it and makes you look bad
Well, any RFC-822 validator that is based on keeping an explicit whitelist current, is doomed anyway, has always been and will always be. They'll have to be RFC-822 (or its successors) compliant without referring to whitelists, or they'll need to actively query the DNS for a valid MX record before validating. That's tough, but it's inevitable in the long run.
cpghost at Cordula's Web.
Obvious example of where a brand suffix would make sense: Apple/iPhone/iPad/iOS, Android, etc.. For example:
"Check out our new mobile Tux racing game at www.disgruntledpenguins.apple or download the Android version at www.disgruntledpenguins.android.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
Except that would require disgruntledpenguins to register both with Google (who I assume would own the "android" TLD) and Apple to set up two entirely separate domains, which would then need to be administered separately. It's easier and more sensible to create subdomains (apple.disgruntledpenguins.com and android.disgruntledpenguins.com).
The ICANN solution seems to use seemingly sound logic to conclude the exact opposite of what makes legal and practical sense. They require the new TLDs owners to be trademark holders. Instead, they should forbid them from being trademark holders. The word "apple" is trademarked by a consumer electronics company, a cruise company, a famous musician, various fruit growers, a bank, etc. So it does not make sense to give .apple to Fiona Apple, Apple Vacations, Apple Computers, the Washington Apple grower's association, the New York Apple Country, Apple Federal Credit Union, or any other apple-related entity.
Intead, a 3rd-party should be able to hold .apple, and license it for computers.apple, fiona.apple, vacations.apple, wa.growers.apple, ny.growers.apple, etc. That's how DNS was designed to work, how trademarks work, and it is completely fair. By giving .apple to Apple Computers it makes the DNS system a mix of hierarchy and non-hierarchy, while assigning one trademark holder special rights over another trademark holder. I foresee *lots* of new jobs for lawyers thanks to ICANN.
What they should do is introduce the .bank domain name, which can only be registered by verified banks, to be used for online banking services to make phishing harder.
Bow before me, for I am root.